


Here With You

by Kurapikaa



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2019-08-24 04:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16632740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurapikaa/pseuds/Kurapikaa
Summary: The Leaf Village's hero meets a girl his age who is terrified of ninja. Since Naruto tends to be more patient with others, he is assigned a mission to prove to her that not all ninja are the same and to watch over her till her father returns.





	1. Ichi

**Author's Note:**

> don't own boruto's dad :)

Here With You

Ichi

Sakura Haruno stared in disgust at her spiky-haired comrade as he slurped up ramen noodles. His facial expression only held pure bliss while he ate. "Geez, Naruto. You eat like you haven't eaten in a billion years," The pinkette muttered with a scowl. In reply, Naruto only gave her his foxy grin before returning to his meal. Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose to restrain an upcoming headache.

The always-silent Sai decided this was his chance to speak up. "So, Naruto… I heard the Hokage is looking for a new assistant," He informed causing his friend to slowly stop eating. The Jinchuriki lowered the bowl from his lips.

"So?" Was Naruto's simple reply.

Sai frowned a bit at his reaction. "So? You can be around the Hokage and see her in action, idiot," Sakura butted in with her usual nagging tone. Their blonde teammate pondered the thought and quickly shook his head. "Nah. All Granny does is paperwork and complain at Shizune. And if I decide to take Shizune's place, then Granny will complain at me… even more," Naruto shuddered at the thought of Tsunade pummeling him for bringing her the wrong type of liquor. He found himself rubbing the bruise he'd received three days ago from her.

Sakura gawked at him. "Oh really? Well, good thing I already signed you up for it," She smiled victoriously and squinted her emerald eyes at him. Naruto's face instantly turned into a disgruntled cringe. "WHAT! Sakura-chan, are you crazy? What would you go and do that for?" He exclaimed as he flailed his arms around frantically. His actions immediately made the female angry. She gritted her teeth in annoyance before hitting him over the head.

"Calm down, idiot! If you ever want to be Hokage then you have to observe the good and the bad," Sakura hissed, rubbing her slightly aching knuckles.

"Gah! Fine, fine, fine! Sheesh, Sakura-chan, why do you have to be such a man...?" He muttered.

And then suddenly, it hit him.

Why do you have to be such a… man!

A now greatly scared Naruto turned in his seat to see a fuming Sakura.

"NARUTO, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY," She screeched while giving him a dangerous look.

The spiky-haired blonde sweat dropped before jumping out of his seat and running out of the ramen stand. Sakura followed behind him with an obvious killing intent. Sai just remained in his seat with a smile and decided he'd pay for his friends.

Meanwhile, Naruto ran the dirt streets of Konoha as his raging comrade was chasing him. "Ah! I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean it! It just sorta slipped," He called back to her, hoping it would help his case.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't. Sakura just looked as if she were even more offended and quickened her pace. "Narutoooo! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to beat you to a pulp," She bellowed. The sunny blonde also boosted his speed and continued to dodge the civilians in his way.

Until…

BAM!

An assortment of fruits and vegetables went flying in the air and quickly hit the ground. Naruto fell on to his backside with a loud thud. He groaned while rubbing his back before standing up to see a platinum blonde girl on the ground whimpering. Naruto suddenly began to freak out.

"Gah! I'm sorry," He apologized before summoning shadow clones to pick up her groceries. The girl rubbed her head and looked up at the clones before letting out a terrified squeal. Naruto blinked in a confused manor at her. That's when he realized she was still on the ground. He held his hand out to her and smiled slightly. The platinum blonde reluctantly took his hand before he hoisted her onto her feet.

Naruto got a full look at the female before him. She looked as if she was around his age, she was wearing a purple sundress, some ordinary sandals, and her hair was in a loose ponytail. But what captured his attention the most were her eyes. They were a unique shade of blue that sparkled beautifully. He seemed to be almost captivated by them. "I-It's alright," She whispered with a large blush on her cheeks.

He couldn't help but laugh at how much she reminded him of the Hyuuga heiress.

"Hey! What're you laughing at?" The still unknown girl questioned with a slightly raised tone. Naruto blinked and took back his recent thought. She was more on Sakura's side instead of Hinata's. "Eh, nothing. Sorry about bumping into you again. Here's your stuff," He said while gesturing to his shadow clones that had retrieved her store bought items. The clones held up her stuff for her to take, but the girl only began to tremble and slowly step back.

Her pretty blue eyes were now showing a familiar emotion to Naruto.

Fear.

Naruto quickly dismissed the clones and caught her groceries before they could fall to the dirt ground. His platinum-blonde acquaintance tried to muffle a small 'meep' noise at the sudden puffs of smoke. Naruto cleared his throat before looking at her with full concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, handing her the bag of items. She nodded and took the things.

"Thank you… I have to leave now. Goodbye," She mumbled in a full flustered-like voice as she turned around.

Bump!

"Woah! Sorry! I wasn't expecting- …NARUTO," A far too familiar kunoichi said before pounding one of her fists into her palm. Blue energy formed around her assaulting right hand as she reared it back. Naruto was preparing to run for his life, but instead, a shriek stopped both ninjas from their actions. They both turned to see the blonde civilian sobbing hysterically before running away.

The team seven shinobi and kunoichi stood there for a moment trying to comprehend what had happened. Sakura was the first to speak.

"Huh... Who was that," she asked while watching the blonde girl run away. Naruto did the same until she disappeared into the crowd. He turned to his teammate and rubbed the back of his head. "Eh, some villager. Funny, she seems like she's our age and I've never seen her before," he muttered.

Sakura shrugged. "Oh well, maybe she's new to the village," she replied before turning away.

Naruto mentally sighed in relief over the fact his teammate had forgotten why he had run into the girl in the first place.

"Oh, and by the way…" The pinkette whispered.

Suddenly she spun around on her heel and punched Naruto's left cheek. He went soaring back, landing in a tower of boxes. "Never call me a man again, bakaaa!!" she yelled while stomping away from the injured adolescent.

Naruto groaned as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Sheesh, women are so troublesome," came a lazy voice. The Kyuubi container turned around to see Shikamaru Nara standing there. Naruto quickly agreed, "Yeah, you said it. So, what are you doing right now?"

The lazy nin pointed at him. "I was told to inform you that you have a new mission. It seemed pretty important if you ask me."

Naruto grinned widely. "Ah! Really? Okay! I better get going. Thanks, Shikamaru," He chimed before darting away.

Entering the Hokage's mansion was always such a thrill for Naruto. He knew that every time he was here, his experience would rise drastically. It was as if everything in the manor made him happy and filled him up with hope.

"ENTER!"

All except one thing…

The sunny-blonde slid open the door and stepped inside the office. He saw the fifth Hokage sitting behind her desk. Shizune stood by her right side, and a slightly familiar man was on her left.

"You rang, Grandma? I'm all ready for my mission. Are we talking A-rank, B-rank, or Oh! S-rank," Naruto questioned, obviously running his mouth. Tsunade glared at him with a very annoyed look on her face. "Must you do this every time I assign you to a mission," she stopped and sighed, "Anyway, I have called you here because Mr. Yamanaka is leaving on a very important assignment," she stopped to gesture to the tall, blonde who nodded to Naruto.

After this, she continued, "His daughter is a very fragile young woman who has a very special case. You will be watching out for her while Mr. Yamanka is away. Do I make myself clear?"

Naruto groaned slightly after she was finished. "But, Grandma! I don't have time to babysit some kid…!"

Tsunade rose from her seat and slammed her hands down on her desk. "Naruto, you will do what I have assigned y-…" she was cut off by the man, who slowly walked over to the Kyuubi container.

The Yamanaka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Please, do this for me… My daughter, she doesn't know how to live by herself. She's too scared of ninja," he whispered while lowering his hand.

Naruto blinked before cocking his head to the side. "Wait… if she's scared of ninja… then why are you hiring me, a ninja, to watch her," he asked, scratching the back of his head. Tsunade calmly sat back in her chair and gave him a sincere look. "Well, since you seem to be more empathetic with others, we thought you could teach her how to not be afraid of ninja. Ya' know? Show her that all of us aren't so bad."

The spiky-haired adolescent gave a grin.

"Alright! I'll do it!"

His answer made everyone smile. "Good, you start tomorrow. Visit her in the morning at the Yamanaka residence, you should know where that is," Tsunade said. Naruto nodded in reply. He gave a reassuring look to the tall blonde man. "Don't worry about a thing! I'll look after your daughter! You can count on me," the younger of the two exclaimed before walking out of the office.

"Thank you, Naruto…"

That night, the Uzumaki boy sat in the middle of his bed, a bored look on his face. He was reading a book about the dynamics of ninja tools. Naruto yawned, before tossing the piece of literature aside.

He lay back on his bed and stretched out. How he hated being home, not doing anything. Kakashi-sensei was always going on about how rest was important, but it just seemed so time-consuming. Especially when he could be out getting stronger and stronger.

Naruto stared up at his ceiling, slowly getting the urge of closing his cerulean eyes, and falling into a quick sleep. However, he couldn't… a certain young woman kept infiltrating his thoughts.

The beautiful girl he'd seen today had bothered him a bit. How had he not encountered her before? The only logical explanation was what Sakura had said. She must have been a newcomer to the Leaf.

Suddenly a smile sprung upon his features. If he ever got the chance to meet this girl again, he would give her a special tour of his home village! Naruto found himself chuckling before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next day, Naruto walked out of his house, already dressed in his usual orange garb. He began walking the streets of Konoha. Which were already bustling with villagers. Some nodded in greeting to the sunny-blonde as he made his way past them. Naruto kindly returned the gesture.

He continued making his way to the Yamanaka compound.

The adolescent then started truly thinking about this mission. How was he supposed to coax a child who was scared of ninja? He quickly dismissed the thought as he remembered that Granny and the Yamanaka man were counting on him. Naruto nodded to himself with pure confidence before walking up to the compound's porch.

He knocked and took a step back as he waited.

The door cracked open, revealing a platinum blonde with crystal eyes.

The same one from yesterday !

"Huh !? I-It's you…!" Naruto was taken aback and pointed at her.

She flinched slightly at his sudden gesture.

Naruto, who was feeling like a complete idiot, overcame his shock and apologized. "That's alright… Come in," she said while walking away. The golden-haired boy nodded, entered the household, and shut the door behind him.

He still couldn't believe that the girl he had just met was his client's daughter. Now it all made sense, why she was so scared when he'd summoned clones.

Naruto decided to take in his surroundings. Her home was very nice and very clean. Scrolls were tucked away neatly into shelves, and no sign of trash anywhere, unlike his living space…

He looked over to see the Yamanaka girl sitting at a table doing absolutely nothing. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, but he decided to join her. When he sat down, he could feel the girl's eyes upon him.

So, he returned her gaze.

"What's your name," Naruto asked with a small smile. She looked away while brushing her bang back. "…It's Ino," she replied.

"That's a cute name!" He complimented with a wider grin.

Ino blushed and turned towards him, "Thank you… and you're Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

He nodded, "That's right! Konoha's next hokage!"

This made Ino's expression soften a bit as she gave him a warm smile. "That's good that you set goals for yourself," she said while cupping her hands in her lap. After that, the conversation seemed to drop leaving the two sitting in a very heavy silence.

"Well, I really don't know how long I'm supposed to be here…" The blonde male muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Ino's eyes lowered and she shifted slightly. "Oh, you want to leave already?" She whispered.

Naruto piped up and waved his hands around frantically. "N-no! It's not that. I just don't know what I'm really supposed to do here. Grandma-Tsunade didn't really tell me anything, but to come and keep you company till your father gets back," he explained, trying to reassure the girl.

Ino stood up, tucking her bang behind her ear. "Ah, well. If you want, you can go."

Naruto also rose up from his spot, while studying the girl in front of him. She was doing her best to mask her disappointment, but Naruto could see right through it. "Hm ! I have a better idea. How about we go out to the village, you and me! Sound like fun?" He suggested with a huge grin on his face.

His sudden proposal made Ino look very shocked to say the least.

She also looked very skeptical…

"I don't like wandering around the village… unless I'm with my father," she said, before fumbling her fingers. Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Huh? But yesterday I saw you all alone," he replied.

Ino nodded, "That's because I had lost sight of my father and was looking for him."

Her explanation made him recall how frantic she was when they had met. Even before he had summoned his clones and seeing Sakura's almighty wrath. Just thinking about it made Naruto shiver. In his trail of thought, he hadn't noticed Ino was still standing there looking very awkward.

"Ino…" Naruto whispered in a low voice.

His sudden mood change made the platinum blonde a little scared, to be honest.

"Y-yes?" Was her small reply.

Ino saw a sharp, serious look in his deep blue eyes.

"I'll protect you." He said with full intent in his voice.

"…!"

The Yamanaka teen gaped at what had just been said.

All she could do was nod in response.

Ino herself didn't understand what she was thinking. It was as if his words had put her conscious to rest as he laughed, and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the house.

\- Ichi: End. -


	2. Ni

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i back

Here With You  
Ni

 

Naruto Uzumaki found himself trudging along the dirt paths of Konohagakure, taking in the sun's warming rays. The mid-summer weather was welcoming to the young man but not to his freshly acquired companion, Ino Yamanaka, who was following close behind him. 

He turned his head to look over his shoulder to sneak a quick look at the quiet girl. Her gaze was low as if not to risk a chance of making contact with the civilians that surrounded her.

Naruto could not help but to inwardly frown while he studied her. She looked so sad and regretful of allowing him to snatch her away from her comfort zone. Snapping back into reality, Naruto spun around on his heel to fully face her. 

Ino raised her blue orbs to avert her attention on to the man in front of her. She began to nervously twiddle with her fingers once she realized that he was staring her down. 

“W-Why did you stop,” she managed to squeak out. Naruto could not help but grin at her meek question and placed his arms behind his head as he leaned back a bit. “You looked so lonely, I thought I'd just check on you,” was his reply. Simple, yes, but Ino could not help but break out into a deep blush. 

She didn't dare to say anything, instead she just looked at him with a small, sheepish smile. Naruto felt reassured that she was still willing to be friendly. Maybe there was hope after all. 

“Let's grab something to eat! I'm starving,” Naruto chimed out as he began walking towards a nearby food stand. However he only took a couple of steps before he realized that the girl was not following this time. He turned to look at her to find her in her awkward state again. 

The same sad eyes that seemed to look through everything, the same twiddling of her slender fingers and the same ping of worry that ran through Naruto's being. 

“Everything okay?” He asked. Ino shook her head quickly and her face was as red as a strawberry. “Ah... yes. I.. Just didn't have time to grab any money before we left,” she answered out of sheer humiliation. 

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at her. “Ne, it's okay. It's all on me!” he replied, seeing her perk up a little at his kindness. She gave him the same shy smile and the two walked to the food stand where they ordered a couple of sticks of sweet dango. 

“Itadakimasu!”

The blondes ate their food side by side in silence. That is until Naruto decided to yet again, break the ice. “So, Ino, what are your hobbies?” he asked as he looked over to the young woman.

“I like botany... I.. I tend to flowers and plants that we keep in our garden,” she answered, feeling a tad bit embarrassed at what she thought to be a kind of odd hobby. But to her surprise, the whisker-faced man lit up and he smiled very big. “That's actually something I like to do, too. I don't have a garden but I keep some potted plants on my windowsill that I like to water and trim,” he replied.

Ino was a bit taken back by his confession in having the same interest as her, especially one that she was so modest about. Naruto, on the other hand, was gushing with excitement that they had something in common and a lightbulb went off in his head.

“You know, there's a really nice spot full of wildflowers on the outskirts of town! Sometimes I go out there to clear my head. Why don't I take you to see it?” Naruto said with a bright gleam in his eyes. Ino suddenly felt a little anxious hearing of this place being outside of the village. She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “N..no I don't think that would be a good idea,” she spoke with a small tremble in her voice that made Naruto's heart flinch.

“Ehhh... that's too bad,” he turned away from her and crossed his arms over his chest as if to pout, “I just thought maybe you would want to see all of those beautiful chrysanthemums!” He closed his eyes and pretended to be upset. He then opened one to get a side eye glance at Ino who was staring up at him with a starry expression. 

“Beautiful chrysanthemums...?” She questioned, while she cupped her hands together and rested them on her chest. Naruto inwardly smirked in victory once realizing that he had indeed won her attention. “Haiiii. Nothing like you've ever seen before,” he replied.

Ino grew flustered as she bit her lip and nibbled it slightly. It felt as if she were torn in two. Her brain was demanding that she dare not leave the village but her heart was begging her to take a chance. 

In the end, she simply nodded her head reluctantly and decided that she was going to finally leave the village for the first time. Upon seeing her answer, Naruto gave her his signature foxy grin and a thumbs up. “Alright! Let's go!” He exclaimed happily before the two began walking towards the village gates. 

Ino stayed beside her newly acquired friend and tried to keep her composure. Her heart was racing and her mind was swimming with “what ifs”. What if they're attacked by a wild animal? What if they get lost and cannot find the way back? What if Naruto isn't who he says he is and tries to hurt her once he gets her to this 'secret spot'. 

She could feel a sudden weight in her chest and goosebumps formed on her skin as she considered that last possibility. What if he's going to hurt me? She couldn't stop asking herself that. He is a ninja after all... Ino grew skeptical and decided to look over and study him. He was acting normal enough and she could not detect a hint of malicious intent. 

Naruto felt Ino's eyes on him and he turned his head to return her gaze. The Yamanaka woman blushed and turned away quickly as she sweat-dropped out of embarrassment. The Uzumaki man however was oblivious and chose to just smile at her while they walked together. 

The path through Konoha was bustling with civilians who noticed the blonde duo walking together. They knew of Naruto, the knucklehead ninja but who was the woman with him? People whispered, asking unanswered questions among themselves.

Naruto and Ino neared the front gates of the village and the closer they got, the heavier Ino's feet seemed to get. The spiky-haired ninja passed through the gate but stopped once he realized that he was walking alone. He turned around to see the Yamanaka girl dead in her tracks. Her head was low and she was gripping at her shirt nervously. 

Being as patient as always, he regrouped with her, eager to help her out. “Are you okay,” he questioned while tilting his head to the side. Ino exhaled deeply and nodded her head, “H-hai... I'm just a little scared to do this. This... this will be my first time leaving the village,” she admitted.

Naruto could not believe his ears. This girl had lived in the village her whole life and never once left the safety of it's borders. Exactly how sheltered is she? The Uzumaki tried to hide his sudden bewilderment and decided the best thing to do is to console the girl.

“You don't need to be scared, Ino! This is a fun trip and I will not let anything ruin it. Nothing will happen and no one will bother us. And if they do,” he paused and raised a fist to his chest as if to give her his word, “I will protect you no matter what!”

A dark hue spread across Ino's cheeks as she felt her face flush with admiration. Something about him kept making her forget her worries and she felt somewhat brave. She brushed her bang out of her eye and nodded to him. They smiled at each other and the two passed through the gate together this time.

Ino, not knowing where to go, followed behind Naruto as they walked through clusters of trees. The afternoon sun shined through the foliage to light up the winding path they trudged along. 

It suprisingly didn't take them long to reach the place that he wanted to show her. Naruto turned around and began walking backwards so he could look at her. He put his arms around his head and gave her a cheeky grin. “Okay!! It's just through this clearing,” he informed.

Ino, who was dying to see these Chrysanthemums, gave an excited nod before running through the rest of trees and out into a vast opening that was full with many, many flowers. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched at the sight. A breeze brushed across the land, sending petals to dance in the wind. 

Naruto joined the awestruck woman and couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back. He had managed to bring her out here and share this amazing view with someone who would appreciate it the most. 

“There are so many beautiful flowers here but nothing like the chrysanthemums,” Naruto said before gesturing her to follow him towards a patch of vibrant, orange flowers that radiated the sun's light off of their lush petals. Ino cooed at the sight of them and couldn't help but to agree that they were in fact, the stars of the show.

Ino got closer to them and ran her fingers across the stems, leaves, and petals as if to examine every single inch of the plant. Naruto crouched down next to her and pulled a flower from the plant. “Did you know that the chrysanthemum symbolizes happiness?” He asked her before he put the flower behind her right ear. 

Ino blushed and softly touched the flower that he had bestowed upon her. A smile graced her lips and her icy blue eyes met his cerulean ones. “I... I do feel pretty happy right now,” she whispered. 

Naruto finally got the chance to look at her completely and he could not help but swoon. The sunset reflected off of her skin, highlighting the rosy blush along her cheeks and lips. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in a very loose ponytail. His chest grew tight and he felt as if his breath was being taken away. He had never felt this sense of infatuation before. It was very new to him but he enjoyed the feeling of it. 

He shook his head as if to free himself of the overcoming sensation. This was his mission, his client who is terrified of ninja. No way could he possibly fall for her. He then cleared his throat and stood up from his crouching position. “I-I'm glad that you ended up enjoying this place,” Naruto spoke to relieve his tension, “See? Coming outside of the village isn't always so bad.” 

Ino nodded her head in a sort of bashful way, she suddenly felt silly that she was so scared in the first place. By this time, dusk had rolled in and the sun was no more. A few stars twinkled overhead. 

Ino rose from beside the flowers and she looked over at Naruto, who was completely stiff. He met her gaze with harsh eyes and he grabbed her roughly, to the point she cried out in pain and surprise. For a moment, she thought that her worst fear had come true that he was going to harm her. That is until she noticed the kunai sticking out of the ground where she was standing.

Her heart began to pound as she slowly turned her head to see two men standing before her and Naruto. They were big and carried swords even larger than themselves. “Oi, oi, oi! What do we have here, Ritsuya?” One of them spoke with such a booming voice that made Ino flinch.

Ritsuya grinned at the two blondes and aimed his sword at them. “Looks like a couple of lovebirds out after dark, Hitsuya,” he squinted his eyes and noticed the Leaf village forehead protector on Naruto, “Ahhh... a Konohagakure ninja. I think I'll have some fun with you!” He laughed.

Naruto, who was still holding Ino, looked down at her to see her cowering in his arms. She was terrified to the point where she was clutching his shirt in fear. The Uzumaki man was instantly pissed off that these two guys ruined her first time coming outside of the village walls.

“Ino,” he said to her. Her head was shaking and her teeth chattering, her eyes still fixated on the infiltrators. He decided to be a bit more firm with her, “Ino!” He called loudly to snap her from her thoughts. The Yamanaka girl slowly turned her head to look at him. 

“I need you to go hide,” he demanded as he let go of her. Ino didn't want to move, she felt as if she couldn't. Her legs shook like they were jelly and she was frozen in her spot. 

The two men began to laugh at Ino's cowardice. “Ehhhh?! What's wrong, little girl? Can't move your legs?” Ritsuya bellowed. Hitsuya began running at Ino while raising his sword high above his head. “Well why don't I just cut them off for you!”

Ino's eyes widened as she watched him charge at her. It was all happening so quickly and she still couldn't bring herself to move. This is it. This is where she would die. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see what would happen next.

Suddenly she heard a loud grunt and low, gurgling sounds. She opened her eyes and gasped out in surprise, bringing her hands to her mouth. Her legs gave out from beneath her and she fell to her knees. 

Hitsuya laid on the ground, covered in his own blood that was pouring out of where his left leg used to be. Naruto stood beside him, holding his decapitated leg in his hand. His eyes a crimson red that glowed brightly in the dark. He had a smug smirk on his face as he looked down at the fallen Hitsuya.

“I thought you were going to take her legs? Ehh? What happened,” Naruto teased him before tossing the leg off to the side. He then turned to look at Ritsuya, who was gawking in terror.

“You're next,” the Uzumaki man said as he pointed to the remaining rogue ninja. The Uzumaki ran towards him at such a speed that Ritsuya could not keep up. The large man began to panic after seeing what had happened to his brother, Hitsuya, and could not bring himself to fight the Leaf ninja. Instead, he dodged Naruto's attack and jumped over him to his unconscious brother. 

Ritsuya picked him and his dismembered leg up and turned to look at Naruto who watched him with burning eyes. “T-this won't be the last time you see us,” he exclaimed before he fled the scene in a hurry. 

Naruto sucked his teeth and made a start to go chase him, that is until he saw Ino. She remained on her knees and tears rolled down her cheeks while she stared at him in disbelief. She scrambled to her feet and ran away as fast as she could. She could not believe what she had witnessed.

Upon seeing her flee, Naruto's eyes returned to their normal blue ones and he grabbed his head in confusion to what had just happened. He didn't recall much but his blood stained hands confirmed that he had indeed lashed out. Though he was perplexed as well, he decided to focus on Ino, who had ran into the woods. Not only was he scared that he had scarred her even more but he did not want her to get lost in the dark. He then followed her.

Ino pressed her back against a thick trunk of a rather large tree. Her breathing was unsettled but she tried to stifle it before it gave out her location. She felt something warm and sticky run down her face and she wiped it off with her hand. She looked down at it and felt a deep ache in her stomach once she saw a mixture of blood and sweat. Her mind was racing and she honestly thought her heart was going to give out from beating so fast. 

She suddenly heard a twig snap and she froze completely. Tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes again as she could not console herself from the overwhelming fear that washed over her being. 

Naruto stood in front of the tree that Ino was hiding behind. His eyes were low and he felt so terrible for letting this happen. “I want you to know that I was only protecting you, Ino... I.. I don't really remember what happened but don't think I would ever harm you in any way...” his voice trailed off. The Yamanaka girl listened to the sadness in his voice as he spoke. Was he being honest?

“Seeing how you went from so happy to scared just really set me off. I apologize for doing whatever I did and I hope that this won't affect our friendship... You don't have to forgive me but at least let me make sure you get home safely,” Naruto said as he clutched his fists in hopes that she would know he was sincere. 

Ino slowly stepped out from behind the tree, making the Uzumaki man inwardly sigh in relief. She walked up to him ever so carefully as she studied him. He did the same to her as well and noticed she had blood and dirt smeared across her face. He felt so sorry. 

“W-well, thank you for protecting me...” Ino replied once realizing that he was only there to help her. Naruto smiled weakly at her and nodded his head. “Any time. Let's get you home,” he said as the two began walking back towards the village. 

Two cloaked figures stood in the flower opening where Naruto had fought the rogue ninja. They both examined the blood splattered across the grass and flowers. “That guy was crazy. Surely he is one of the Jinchuuriki no doubt, un,” one of them exclaimed.

The other figure appeared to be hunchbacked and not human. “Hai... with speed and power like that, there is no mistaking it. We should report back to the leader,” a gruff voice said before the two vanished into thin air.


End file.
